8 - 



In a third experiment, fruits from limbs with differing yields 

 were stored in 32°F air until March, then assessed and analyzed. 

 The results in Table 3 are based on peel calcium rather than flesh 

 calcium. Since peel calcium is usually about 3 times higher than 

 flesh calcium, the 4 categories in Table 3 are about equivalent to 

 the 4 categories in Table 2. Again we found internal breakdown to 

 occur predominantly (in this case exclusively) in the lowest calcium 

 sampl es . 



Table 3. Peel calcium levels and internal breakdown of Mcintosh 

 apples following 6 months storage in 32°F air. 



Peel calcium 

 range {%) 



Number of 

 samples 



Internal breakdown 



in 



0300 - 



0400 - 



0500 - 



0600 - 



0399 

 0499 

 0599 

 0773 



4 

 15 

 24 

 11 



8 

 2 

 

 



All 3 of the experiments suggest that calcium deficiency does 

 exist in our Mcintosh trees at the Research Center, and that it 

 is resulting in loss of storage life of our fruit. Analyses of a 

 few samples from some commercial orchards in various parts of 

 Massachusetts resulted in values spanning the ranges shown in 

 Table 3, so the calcium levels in our orchard are not unique. 

 These analyses were associated with the relationship we observed 

 between low calcium levels and "soft Mcintosh" reported in a 

 previous Fruit Note s*on that problem in which the very soft fruit 

 had calcium contents that would fall into the lowest 2 categories 

 in Table 3. While all of these pieces of information are incom- 

 plete, they all suggest that calcium deficiencies do exist in 

 Massachus 



etts Mcintosh, and that such a deficiency is expressing 



itself in a reduction of storage life of the fruit . 



Agricul 

 (J. Ame 



recent ar 

 ture Cana 

 r . Soc . H 



They gr 

 1 evel s . 

 for 3 d 

 The lev 

 level s 

 we pres 

 accompa 

 ternal 

 tend to 

 itself. 

 Researc 

 fruit d 



ew Sparta 



Appl es 

 if ferent 

 els of ca 

 of c a 1 c i u 

 ent in Ta 

 nied by d 

 breakdown 

 the Mcln 

 We samo 

 h Center, 

 isorders 



tide by J.L. 

 da Research S 

 ort. Sci. 99: 

 n trees in nu 

 harvested fro 

 seasons. The 

 lei urn in the 

 m nutrition c 

 ble 2, and as 

 ecreasing occ 

 ) . Therefore 

 tosh-1 ike var 

 led a limited 

 and found no 

 following sto 



Mason and J.M. Mc 

 tation, Summerland 

 318-321 ) is pertin 

 trient culture at 

 m these trees were 



results are summa 

 fruit flesh obtain 

 orrespond closely 



in Table 2, incre 

 urre nee of senesce 

 , the calcium prob 

 ieties as well as 

 number of Cortlan 

 relationship of c 

 rage because y/ery 



Dougald of the 

 , British Columbia 

 ent to this question 

 different calcium 



stored in 31 °F air 

 rized in Table 4. 

 ed at different 

 to the categories 



asing calcium was 

 nt breakdown (in- 

 1 em appears to ex- 

 affecting Mcintosh 

 d trees at the 

 alcium level to 

 few disorders ap- 



*Sept.-0ct., 1974 



